Journalism Online, a venture aimed at generating revenue for news publishers by charging readers for online content, has announced it now has more than 1,000 affiliates who have signed on to its platform.
Journalism Online co-founder Steven Brill said that the results of a recent study released by the American Press Institute, found that nearly 60 percent of American newspapers are “actively considering” initiating some form of paid access for their online content.
Steven Brill
Journalism Online
“In August, we announced that more than 500 newspapers, magazines and online-based news sites in the United States and around the world had signed Letters of Intent with us,” said co-founder Gordon Crovitz.
“Just one month later, we have passed 1,000, reaching more than 100 million online users, and the pace is accelerating.”
Crovitz added publishers no longer have to choose between advertising revenue and circulation revenue. He said, “Publishers are focused on the revenue potential of a mix of free and paid access to their sites, with the ‘freemium’ approach increasingly popular.
Brill said API’s findings indicated publishers were “seriously considering 11 of 15 different options of which pay models to implement.” “That flexibility and diversity is also consistent with our view, which is why our Reader Revenue Platform has 16 different options for publishers,” said Brill.
Journalism Online also recently said readers could use their accounts to donate to their favorite organizations.
